Dynasty Injury Report: Week Nine

Bruce Matson Posted On November 11, 2020

We are inching our way closer to the fantasy playoffs. The fantasy football season will be over before we know it. The injury report is going to become more important as we head toward the stretch. At this stage of the season, a simple hamstring injury to a player who is on a team out of contention could keep him off the field for the rest of the season. Those are situations we have to closely monitor because they will drastically impact fantasy lineups.

Going into the fantasy playoffs with full health is also very important. Some teams make it to the dance because they were healthy during a large portion of the season, but when it comes to crunch time, their team is decimated with injuries and will get quickly bounced out of the playoffs.

We can’t control if our players get injured. However, we can adapt by picking up players off the waiver wire and being aggressive on the trade market to find an alternative.

Let’s take a look at some of the key injuries from week nine and how we can re-shape our rosters to fill any gaps created from some of these injuries.

QUARTERBACK

Kyle Allen, WAS

Allen suffered a dislocated ankle in the Football Team’s week nine loss to the New York Giants. He will have surgery to fix the issue. Unfortunately, he will be out for the remainder of the 2020 season.

The 36-year-old veteran quarterback Alex Smith will take his place as the team’s starter. He almost had his career ended after breaking his leg in 2018 and suffering complications during the healing process. Smith was able to toss for 325 yards and one touchdown against the Giants on Sunday.

Allen was a replacement-level player for fantasy purposes. He didn’t hold any long-term value for dynasty. If need be, he can be released to the waiver wire. At this point, we’ve seen enough from his game to determine that he’s not going to be the next Tom Brady, making it safe to move on from him.

Smith has a fascinating comeback story. It’s hard not to root for him. He’s worth plucking off waivers if you need production at quarterback with the expectation that he won’t be apart of your dynasty team for the long haul.

RUNNING BACK

Christian McCaffrey, CAR

After returning to the line up from an ankle injury in which he endured in week two, it now looks like McCaffrey is going to miss some time with a shoulder injury. This is not the news his fantasy managers wanted to hear. They waited the majority of the season for his comeback. Now, they have to wait a little longer for his return.

He looked good against the Kansas City Chiefs, rushing for 69 yards and one touchdown. The Panthers granted him heavy usage in the passing game as he caught ten passes for 82 yards and one touchdown. McCaffrey finished week nine with 37.10 PPR fantasy points.

We shouldn’t see a large drop in McCaffrey’s dynasty value. Overall, his fantasy managers should understand injuries happen. He will be back on the field sooner than later. His upside and consistency are out of this world. It would be a mistake to trade for pennies on the dollar.

With that said, dynasty gamers should be sending offers for him. His absence is affecting some fantasy teams. Not all dynasty managers are patient which could turn into your benefit on the trade market. It’s always good to kick the tires during these scenarios because you never know what will happen.

David Montgomery, CHI

Montgomery suffered a concussion during the Bears’ week nine loss to the Tennessee Titans. Before the injury, he logged just 30 yards on 14 carries. He will need to go through concussion protocol before he can be available for the Bears’ week ten game against the Minnesota Vikings.

We will see Cordarrelle Patterson and Ryan Nall take the majority of the work out of the backfield if Montgomery is unable to play. Since Montgomery will back in the fold sooner than later, his dynasty stock shouldn’t see any negative effects from the injury.

David Johnson, HOU

Johnson will need to go through concussion protocol to be cleared for his week ten contest against the Cleveland Browns. Fantasy managers will need to monitor his status throughout the week to see if he will be available to play.

If Johnson can’t go on Sunday, then we will get what we have always wanted which is a Duke Johnson revenge game against his former team. Last week, Johnson managed 15.30 PPR fantasy points against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s a player to snag off waivers if he’s available.

WIDE RECEIVER

Laviska Shenault, JAC

Shenault suffered a hamstring injury and was ruled out in his week nine contest against the Houston Texans. After getting an MRI, the injury wasn’t deemed serious and he has a chance to play on Sunday which is a huge relief for his dynasty managers since they don’t have to worry about him being out of the line up for an extended period.

Preston Williams, MIA

Good news prevailed after Williams was carted off the field with a foot injury. The results of the x-ray were negative. His status is now day-to-day. Fantasy managers will need to monitor his situation and be prepared to move on without him if he’s not able to play in week ten. Williams is expected to be back on the field this season. Unless he experiences a setback, his value in dynasty will not be impacted by this injury.

TIGHT END

Jack Doyle, IND

Doyle is currently going through the concussion protocol and it is highly unlikely that he will be available to play this Thursday. In seven games, he caught nine balls for 108 yards and two touchdowns. We will see if he can return in week 11 when the Colts face the Green Bay Packers.

Albert Okwuegbunam, DEN

Okwuegbunam tore his ACL while playing against the Atlanta Falcons in week nine. His season is over, and he will be placed on injured reserve. He has 11 catches for 121 yards and one touchdown on the season.

Since he’s a rookie with 99th-percentile size-adjusted speed, he’s worth stashing in deeper dynasty leagues. Noah Fant is cemented as the alpha tight end in the offense, but you never know how Okwuegbunam’s career transition a few years down the road.

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Bruce Matson

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

I'm a financial counselor for a hospital in South Central Ohio. I graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's in business while minoring in Economics and Accounting. I won my first fantasy football title with Jake Plummer as my quarterback.